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arthurbdd's review
4.0
Despite a risible attempt to conceal Gareth Michel-Skarka's involvement in the book, this is still probably the best attempt at a Star Trek RPG yet. Further thoughts on the difficulties of adapting Trek: https://refereeingandreflection.wordpress.com/2019/08/27/boldly-going-where-many-systems-have-gone-before/
stoicloofah's review
3.0
(preface: this review is from reading the pre-order edition and having played 2 sessions with the alpha rules)
Weighing in at almost 400 pages, this book might as well be Starfleet General Orders and Regulations. Thankfully, you probably don't need to read it cover-to-cover: the best captains ignore regulations, and you probably should, too.
The first section of the book is a surprisingly good overview of the Star Trek universe. Fans will recognize references to specific episodes, and minor asides and a history textbook-like style make it a fun read.
Afterwards, you get into the rules. There are a lot of rules (even compared to most other RPG systems). It turns out that flying a starship, conducting scientific experiments, and operating on aliens is hard, and the rules for doing that in a balanced and systematic way end up being somewhat bulky. An interesting twist with the rules is that combat accounts for only a small part of it: in true Star Trek spirit, most of the game is intended to focus on exploration with combat as a last resort.
However, I hope Modiphius and the STA creators will agree that you can probably ignore most of the rules and still have a great time. Use the basic rules for combining attributes and disciplines for checking tasks and just play out your own episode of Star Trek. Regulations are mostly for when things go wrong anyways, and you can incorporate those into your game later.
If you want to play a Star Trek RPG, this is the system that allows you to do that. Get the PDF first to give it a short (it's much cheaper), and if you like it, you can splurge on a very fancy physical volume later
Weighing in at almost 400 pages, this book might as well be Starfleet General Orders and Regulations. Thankfully, you probably don't need to read it cover-to-cover: the best captains ignore regulations, and you probably should, too.
The first section of the book is a surprisingly good overview of the Star Trek universe. Fans will recognize references to specific episodes, and minor asides and a history textbook-like style make it a fun read.
Afterwards, you get into the rules. There are a lot of rules (even compared to most other RPG systems). It turns out that flying a starship, conducting scientific experiments, and operating on aliens is hard, and the rules for doing that in a balanced and systematic way end up being somewhat bulky. An interesting twist with the rules is that combat accounts for only a small part of it: in true Star Trek spirit, most of the game is intended to focus on exploration with combat as a last resort.
However, I hope Modiphius and the STA creators will agree that you can probably ignore most of the rules and still have a great time. Use the basic rules for combining attributes and disciplines for checking tasks and just play out your own episode of Star Trek. Regulations are mostly for when things go wrong anyways, and you can incorporate those into your game later.
If you want to play a Star Trek RPG, this is the system that allows you to do that. Get the PDF first to give it a short (it's much cheaper), and if you like it, you can splurge on a very fancy physical volume later
anomalocaris's review
4.0
Fantastic system; confusing layout for the book, which is why I'm leaving off one star.
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